Say Something
by BloodStainsOnMyKisses
Summary: After 14 long months away at battle against the Ogres in the 4th Ogre War, Lieutenant General Killian Jones returns home to a wife and new child, and realizes how quickly things can become very, very bad.


_Say Something_

_Prologue_

* * *

Three days after being assigned the role of Lieutenant General of the imperial military in opposition to the ogres in the Fourth Ogre War alongside his General and father-in-law David Nolan, Killian Jones was informed of his Swan being in her first month of gestation. Unknowing when –– or if — he was returning, he was hesitant to leave. He didn't find the idea of leaving behind a beautiful wife and child fairly appealing. However, with Emma's incessant support, and the impression of being branded a deserter, coward, and runaway clear in his mind, he didn't waste time packing his belongings and preparing himself for war.

He kissed his fair lady goodbye, tucked her into bed, and left that night. Emma's eyes followed him to the door. He gave her a small smile, before blowing out her candle, leaving her staring at darkness.

By the time her eyes had adjusted, he was gone.

Outside, he only took one look back before leading his horse into the endless pain that was to follow.

-x-

Killian's first nights away from home were clouded with anxiety, heartache, and restlessness. He couldn't fall asleep at night, and he had a pretty good idea why. It was less about the homesickness, and rather about his guilt of leaving his Swan alone to fend for herself, even if she had her mother. All he yearned was her soft, warm touch. Her fresh long blonde locks to tickle him at night, even though it irritated him immeasurably. Her milky arms holding him to sleep every night, even if she was mad at him, or he her. His unborn child she held within her. He felt as though he should head back, but they were already more than halfway to the battleground. The war was to begin the next day, and Charming needed a second-in-command. He wasn't going to find one so trustworthy and of good form at such short a notice.

Against his better judgement, Killian decided to stay to fight. And he was, if it took all he had, going to come back to his family. He just hadn't known then how long that would take to accomplish, and how much it could cost him.

-x-

Over the 14 months Killian hadn't been home, Emma Swan had to endure a lot on her own. Her mother had let her stay with her through the majority of the battle, in the Charmings' cozy warm hut underground. The ground often shook from the turbulence of the heavy fighting that was unravelling far, far away. The eagerness of both women having their husbands return could be felt daily. They received no bad news, but no good news either. Soon the eagerness grew into worry, growing as fast and big as Emma's own abdomen. Young Neal Nolan was growing up too, not knowing his father. It was exactly how the Charmings hadn't wanted it to be, but there was little the two could do about the situation.

Much like one another, both mother and daughter wanted nothing more than to be by their husbands' sides, fighting the dim ogres together, and restore peace into their land, but were held back by their concern for the safety of their children. This small fact left both Emma and Snow devastated, but they stayed home.

It was during this time that they were alone that Emma had birthed Killian's child. With the help of Mary Margaret, a beautiful healthy girl was born. With Killian's light blue eyes and dark hair, she looked exactly like her father. She was flexible—it was evident when she pulled on her own legs – and fidgety. Looking at her newly born daughter, Emma felt a pang of emptiness for Killian, hoping he'd return to his family soon.

-x-

Unbeknownst to him, it was the same day he became a father that Lieutenant General Jones had lost his left hand. He had lost many pints of blood, and would as sure as day have been dead had it not been for David's swift actions. With nothing apart from his daughter's husband's safety in his mind, as Killian lay unconscious on the ground after a heavy blow delivered to the head, and his left hand three meters from his body, the king flung himself into the ogre's marching view, fought him to the death, and killed the beast. He then slung the man over his shoulder and carried him to the base camp medical center, where they had already lost too many men to have to lose this one too.

The one main medic they had taken with them was already swamped by the time the two arrived, but when Whale took one look at the Lieutenant's condition he abandoned his post to other nurses, and tended to his wounds at once. They had to restore his blood with donated pints from Dr. Whale himself and a nurse who was on break. If they had learnt anything from their time in Storybrooke's hospital, it was that mixing blood types could prove extremely fatal. Killian remained unconscious during the whole procedure, and Whale noted this as he was delivering his 78 stitches as unnaturally suspicious, and something to be worried about.

Killian's hand would never return to him. They gave him a prosthetic made of wood, and fit over it a black glove. It didn't move, and it never would again.

-x-

Soon after the birth, Emma returned home to the Swan-Jones cottage by the side of the lake. They had chosen to buy it off a travelling family because of Killian's missing of the Jolly Roger and his times as a pirate roaming to seas. As she looked out at the scenery, holding her young child, she only hoped Killian would return to them both safely.

She hadn't named the baby, as she wanted Killian's insight on it. However, by every passing day, she feared more and more that if she continued doing so, the child might never have a name.

For the time-being, she named her girl Ava, after her great-grandmother. She hoped Killian didn't like it, and that they would change her name into something more personal to them, but it had to do for then.

Emma, soon after naming Ava, realized that she missed her husband more than she cared to admit to anyone, especially herself. She found herself clutching their child to her chest every night, crying, hoping Killian wouldn't take much longer to come home. She prayed to whatever gods were up there staring at her, and the one God her time in the real world schools taught her about, that her partner is returned to her soon. All she really wanted was the feel of his comforting hand in hers, or the soft skin of his lips on hers, or anything really that signified their closeness. But maybe it would take him longer than she hoped, or maybe not at all. She only trusted that wasn't going to happen.

-x-

Following many long months of back-breaking battle, meagre meals, and pain unlike any other he had experienced in his life, Acting General Killian Jones could finally come back home.

With him all these months he had had but two things to remind himself of his beautiful lady: the silver ring she granted him on their wedding day, and her bristling, colour-drained photograph from their old home in the magic-less land. Letters could not be received nor sent home. The only thing keeping Killian alive, productive, and on his feet after enduring the pain of losing his closest mates, and then his left hand, was the thought of returning to see two faces dear to his heart smile up at him.

To think he was going to see his Swan's brilliant face again was almost like a dream too good to be true.

To think that he was going to have his child in his arms for the first time, that seemed a fantasy.

-x-

Killian was less than a mile away from the cottage he had shared with his love when he pushed his horse into a frenzied gallop.

Before his horse had come to a complete stop at the door of home, he had leaped off the magnificent beast, and barged into the doors. He looked around, observing that everything was how they had made it almost two years ago when they came from the magic-less land.

"Swan?" he called into the house. "Emma?!" The door swung wildly behind min, remaining open. His Swan came quickly treading into the hall, carrying a small bundle. When she saw his face, her own lit up brightly. She ran into his arms, where she instantly felt warmer. He repetitively kissed the crown of her head as she cried into his shoulder, their crying, screaming baby snuggled in between them.

His soldiers whistled and cheered behind him as they saw their general reunited with his family.

"Killy, I'd like to introduce you to your daughter. Ava." Emma whispered close to his ear, and let him hold their child.

Killian was not a crier, but as soon as he had his daughter in his arms, it was all he could do. As soon as she was placed in his arms, she stopped crying to look up at the man with eyes the same colour as hers. She was intrigued.

Ava's small fingers played with the scruff of her father's beard, finding its scratchiness entertaining.

And in that moment, staring down at his daughter's bright blue eyes, Killian Jones began to cry.

* * *

**_Chapter 0_: Prologue, _Fin_. **

**_Chapter 1_: First Night Home, coming soon. **


End file.
